Chicago Fire Announce Two Additions to Technical Staff

CHICAGO(Feb. 6, 2015) – Chicago Fire Head Coach and Director of Soccer Frank Yallop announced two additions to his technical staff on Friday, appointing Marc Bircham assistant coach and Adrian Lamb as strength and conditioning coach.

“I’ve known Marc for a while now, I actually coached him while I was in Canada, and I’m excited to have him join the Fire,” said Yallop. “His experience in England and his enthusiasm for coaching is what I like about Marc. He’s a great character, knows the game and has a good way of getting the best out of players. He’s excited to join us and get going.”

Born in Wembley, England, Bircham joins the Fire after most recently serving as an assistant coach with English Championship side Millwall. A defensive midfielder in his playing days, Bircham, a Canadian international with 17 caps and one goal to his name, began his professional career with Millwall in 1996, amassing 104 appearances in seven years before transferring to Queens Park Rangers in 2002, where he made 152 appearances for The Hoops before joining Yeovil Town in 2007. After retiring in 2009, Bircham joined the coaching ranks when he took the reigns of QPR in 2009 where he served before joining Millwall in 2014.

“This is a great opportunity for me to join the Fire and MLS,” said Bircham. “The big draw for me was to work with Frank, who I’ve known for many years. It seemed like a great fit so I’m really excited for the opportunity and I’m really looking forward to it.”

A Sports Studies graduate of Northumbria University, Lamb joins the Fire as the Strength and Conditioning Coach after previously serving in the position at English clubs Preston North End, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers and Aston Villa, and most recently with Toronto FC.

“Adrian brings a wealth of knowledge from the Premier League and from having worked with great managers and coaches,” said Yallop. “To add that experience to our staff is going to be invaluable from the fitness aspect.”